A. K. Raveendran (born 13 June 1958), popularly known as Major Ravi , is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, politician, former marathon athlete, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir. After retiring from the army, he began his career in Indian cinema as a consultant for military-based films. He made his independent directorial debut in 2006 with Keerthi Chakra for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay.
Family Ravi was born to Indian Army soldier P. Kuttisankaran Nair and A. T. Satyabhama.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: He is married to Anitha. The couple has a son Arjun Ravi.
Military career He joined the army as a sepoy after his schooling and later pursued his studies within the army and graduated from the Army Cadet College and from the Indian Military Academy to become an officer in Dec 1984. He served in the Indian Army as a commando in the National Security Guards, as aide-de-camp (ADC) to the then chief of Indian Army General Sunith Francis Rodrigues and as an officer in the Indian Military Intelligence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Jammu and Kashmir.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: He was head of the mission code-named Operation One Eyed Jack to capture suspects of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination (the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu). His military tenure of three years in the National Security Guard as a commando inspired him to direct Keerthi Chakra (2006) and Mission 90 Days (2007). He retired from the army with the rank of major.
Film career After serving for 24 years in the Indian Army, he became a military consultant for Indian films. He has worked with Indian film makers Priyadarshan, Rajkumar Santoshi, Kamal Haasan, and Mani Ratnam. His first feature film was Keerti Chakra, a film on Kashmir militancy.
His second movie Mission 90 Days was his own experience of the mission to capture the suspects of Rajiv Gandhi murder case. His third project Kurukshetra based on the Kargil war starring Mohanlal was a sequel to Keerthi Chakra. The 2010 film Kandahar was a third installment to the Major Mahadevan film series.
In 2012, he directed Karma Yodha with Mohanlal. In 2015, Picket 43, starring Prithviraj and Javed Jaffery was made. It turned out to be a hit. He is now heading towards a fourth installment in the Major Mahadevan series. About the film he quoted: "The focus will be on the individuals rather than the war, and will portray the relationships that are forged during the war."
In 2025 after a 13-year-long legal battle, Kottayam Commercial Court ruled that 'Karma Yodha' script was plagiarised and Major Ravi was ordered to pay ₹30 lakh to the original author Reji Mathew as compensation
Political career In 2021, Raveendran joined Indian National Congress but left the party owing to difference of opinion with the leadership.
In 2023, he joined Bharathiya Janata Party and he is appointed Kerala State Vice Presidents of the party.
In 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, he contested as BJP candidate from Ottapalam Assembly constituency in Palakkad district. He got third position.
Filmography Year Title Credited as Notes Director Writer Actor 1999 Megham Olympian Anthony Adam 2000 Sradha Pukar Hindi film Snegithiye Bilingual film (Malayalam and Tamil) 2001 Aalavandhan Tamil film 2002 Onnaman Punarjani Co-director 2003 Lesa Lesa Tamil film Pattalam 2006 Keerthi Chakra 2007 Raakilipattu Mission 90 Days 2008 Kurukshetra 2010 Toofan Hindi film Kandahar 2012 Karma Yodha Court ruled in 2025 that ‘Karmayodha’ script was plagiarised 2013 Oru Yathrayil Segments Amma and I Love My Appa 2015 Picket 43 Anarkali 2016 Action Hero Biju Marubhoomiyile Aana 2017 Lavakusha 1971: Beyond Borders 2019 Driving License 2020 Varane Avashyamund 2021 The Last Two Days Oru Thathvika Avalokanam 2022 Santacruz Filming Mei Hoom Moosa Meppadiyan 2023 Valatty Cameo appearance Garudan 2024 Thankamani Kishkindha Kaandam 2025 Raveendra Nee Evide? Ambalamukkile Visheshangal 2026 Spa Baby Girl
Television Year Show Role Channel2018–2019Unarunna Keralam Host Amrita TV2020-2021Flowers students startupJudgeFlowers TV2021Charithram EnniloodeNarratorSafari TV2021-2022Beautiful MindsHostBehindwoods ICE
Awards Sena Medal Kerala State Film Awards 2006: Best Screen Play - Keerthi Chakra Asianet Film Awards 2006: Best Director Award - Keerthi Chakra 2008: Special Honour Jury Award - Kurukshetra 2010: Best Feature Film on National Integration Award - Kandahar
References